Dehydrator having radial venturi-type electrodes



DEHYDHATO HAVING RADIAL VENTURI TYPE ELECTRODES Filed oct. 9, i928 2sheets-sheet m i V i 6 im@ a 9/ f o y 7 n ik@ f w JMW M L 2 I,\ 1.1] Il||l 5 -i122 @we m IIVI4||I-|M -MIJN/9,-; y IIN ll grill 5W' Dec. 29,1931.

J. T. woR'rHlNGToN 1,838,979

DEHYDRATOR HAVING R'ADIAL VENTURI TYPE ELECTRODES Filed Oct. 9,'1928 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 29, 183i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHNT. WORTHINGTON, OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T PETROLEUM BEC-TIFYING COMPANY 0F CALIFORNIA, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION0F CALIFORNIA DEHYDRATOR HAVING- RADIAL 'VENTURI-TYPE ELECTRODESApplication med October 9, 1928. Serial No. 811,389.

My invention relates to electric treaters, and more particularly to anovel form of electric dehydrator which is useful in separating thephase of an emulsion.

The crude petroleum, as it comes from the well, is often associated withwater or other foreign substances. If the oil and water is in the formoi an emulsion, the water particles are so small that they will notseparate from m the oil by the action of gravity. Such emulsions areoften passed through a high potential electric eld which "agglomeratesthe water particles into masses of suiiicient size to gravitate tronithe oil.

315 lt is an object ot this invention to provide a novel form ofelectric treater which is more edicient and which has a larger capacitythan previous types.

A further object of this invention is to progo vide a plurality ofhorizontally disposed sleeve electrodes into which the emulsion isinjected through nozzle structures' adjacent the sleeves.

A further object of this invention is to pro- 25 vide a dehydratorhaving a plurality of treating spaces into which the emulsion isinjected in such a manner as to recirculate treated oil therethrough.

A further object oi' this invention is to pro- 3o vide a dehydratorhaving a plurality of fluidcirculating electrode structures, the Huidcirculated being taken from substantially the same plane and fromsubstantially the same radial lpoint so as to render its dielectricstrength substantially uniform.

Still another object ot this invention is to provide an electricdehydrator in which there is no vdanger of the electrodes beingshortcircuited.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be made evidenthereinafter.

Referring to the drawings in vwhich l illustrate two forms of myinvention,-

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form ot my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of F ig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken 50 on the line 3 3 of Fig.1.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, I prefer to incorporate my inventionin a shell having upper and lower drums 11 and 12, these elementscooperating to define a space 13 which is normally filled with one ormore liquids. The upper drum is provided with a dry oil outlet pipe 15,while the lower drum l2 is provided with a water outlet pipe 16.

Extending through the shell 10 near the lower end thereof is an inletpipe 17 having a vertical leg 18 axially aligned with the shell 10 andsupported therein by supporting arms '19 extending between a clampingstructure 20 secured around the leg 18 and the shell 10.

rlhe leg 18 acts as a supporting member for a unitary electrodestructure 22 of my invention. This structure includes an inlet member 2tthreaded to the upper end oi' the leg 18 and having an inlet chamber 25therein.

Threaded into a plurality of sockets 26 disposed around the inlet member2liand in the. same horizontal plane are pipes 27 to which nozzles 28are threaded, these nozzles having restricted openings 29. Extendingcentrally through each of these restricted openings 29 is a tongue 30which is rigidly i held in a boss 31` formed on the back portion of eachsocket 26. rlhe emulsion enterin the inlet chamber reaches theinterior-o the pipes 27 through ports 32 and is injected from theannular space between the tongues and thek walls of the restrictedopenings 29, this emulsion being in the form of a fluid envelopesurrounding the tongues 30 and in contact therewith.

Each of the` tongues 30 extends through an adjacent sleeve 35, thesesleeves being of shape best shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. This shapemay be likened to that of a Vein turi-tube having a throat 36 into whichthe nozzle 28 discharges.

rlhe sleeves are each mounted on a drum 38 by means of bolts 39, thisdrum having openings 40 through which the nozzles 28 extend, theseopenings being substantially larger than the outer diameter of thenozzles at this point. The drum 38 is open atits upper and lower ends,the upper ends thereoi being secured to a supporting structure 42 havinga to bar 43 resting on' an insulator 44. This insullator Iin turn 1ssecured to the u per end of the inlet member 24, as best s own inFig. 1. This novelformofunittype construction is particularlyadvantageous in that the insulator 44 is subjected only to compressivestress and holds the supporting structure 42 and the vinlet member 24 sothat any movement of the pipe 18 which carries the tongues 30 is alsotransmitted to the sleeves 35 so that the tongues are maintained incorrect alignment with their respective sleeves at all times. Thesupporting structure 42, drum 38, and sleeves 35 are formed of metal, asare also the inlet member 24, pipes 27, nozzles 28, and tongues 30. Thislatter group of elements comprises a primary electrode 45 which isgrounded to the shell 10 through the supply pipe 17, while the formergroup of elements comprises a secondary electrode 46 which is 'connectedby a wire 47, passing through an insulator 48, to one terminal of thesecondary of a transformer 49. The other terminal of this secondary isconnected to the shell 10 so that a high potential is maintained betweenthe primary and secondary electrodes.

Substantially all of the treating action takes place inside the sleeves35, the space between these sleeves and their respective nozzles andtongues being termed treatin spaces 50 into which the emulsion 1sinjecte The electric field in this space tends to agglomerate thesuspended water particles so that after leaving the treating spaces 50,the water may separate from the oil as by the action of gravity.

Due to the fact that the area of the tongues 30 is much smaller than thearea of the inside of the sleeves 35, and due to the axial positioningof these tongues relative to the sleeves, the field set up in thetreating spaces 50 will be of non-uniform voltage gradient, that portionof the field around the tongues being of much higher intensity than thatportion adjacent the sleeves 35. It should thus be understood that theemulsion is subject-ed to the maximum field intensity when beinginjected in a fiuid envelope around the tongues 30. The action takingplace as the emulsion passes through this high intensity field is muchgreater than that which would take place should the emulsion be injectedthrough the outer portion of the field of lower intensity.

A very important part of this invention is the positioning of aplurality of electrodes in the same substantially horizontal plane. Thepurpose of this particular placement may best be understood by areference to' Figs. 1 and 3. Referring particularly to the latterfigure, the emulsion passing from the nozzles 28 follows paths indicatedby arrows 52.

The Huid envelope thus formed travels outward along the tongue 30 untilit passes beyond the influence ofthe electric lfield in the treatingspace 50. The velocity imparted thereto causes this treated butunseparated liquid to follow a path indicated by arrows 53.

The shell 10 causes this liquid to flow upward, downward, and sidewardfrom the axes of the tongues 30, as indicated by the arrows 53. Afterleaving the treating spaces, the phases of the liquid tend to separate,the water particles dropping downward, as indicated by arrows 54, andthe clean oil passing upward, as indicated by arrows 55, this separatingaction taking place while the liquid is moving inward, as indicated byarrows 56. I prefer to utilize four sleeves 35 so that the segmentalspace therebetween will be large in order to permit fast settling of thewater particles and easy rising of the clean oil.

Due to the high velocit with which the emulsion is injected into t etreating spaces 50, an injector action is set up which tends to draw anyliquid adjacent the openings 40 into the treating space, as indicated bythe arrows 60. This action helps to move the liquid inward, as indicatedby the arrows 56, the farther this liquid moves in this direction, themore complete the separation of the oil and water. Thus, by the timethis liquid reaches a position'adjacent the openings 40 substantiallyall of the water has been separated therefrom so that the liquid drawninto the sleeve 35 by the injector action is a relatively dry oil havinghigh dielectric strength.

It should be understood that this oil contacts the outer surface of thefluid envelope formed by the emulsion in passing through the treatingspace; in fact, the dry oil drawn into the treating space itself forms afluid envelope, as indicated by arrows 62 of Fig. 3, this fluid envelopeengaging the inner walls of the sleeve 35 and acting as adielectricbarrier to prevent a lining-up of the water particles in the emulsion toshort-circuit the electrodes. Such short-circuiting cannot take placedue to the fact that this fluid envelope of oil is maintained adjacentthe inner walls of the sleeve 35, this portion of the treating spacebeing of lower voltage gradient than that immediately surrounding thetongues 30.

By actual laboratory and field tests, I have found that a dehydratorsuch as the one illustrated will give a more thorough separation thantypes heretofore used, and that its capacity is very much greater thanin these other types. This is due to the type of electrode utilized, tothe high intensity field through which the emulsion is passed, and tothe horizontal positioning of the electrodes whereby relatively dry oilis drawn through the openings 40 in the drum 38 as a dielectric barrier.A vertical positioning of identical lid sleeves and nozzles does notLeaae're give the eicient treatment that I have found inherent in thedesign illustrated. This is probably due to the even distribution anduniform dryness of the dry oil just before it is drawn through theopenings 40.

Thus, in reiteration, the radial position of the electrodes, the highfield intensity through which the emulsion passes, and the particularrecirculating paths formed, are important features of this invention. Soalso, the equal radial position ofthe openings 40 is important, due tothe uniform dryness of the dry oil being recirculated through all of thetreating spaces. Similarly, the particular unitary electrodeconstruction is important, both from the standpoint that no relativemovement between electrodes is possibleta feature important when narrowtreating spaces are provided) and from the viewpoint of insulatoreconomy. Previous dehydrators have utilized insulators which weresubjected to tensile stresses, and the ordinary type of insulatingmaterial is very weak in tension compared to its strength incompression. Thus, the type of unitary electrode structure permits theuse of smaller, less expensive insulators, and increases the life ofthese insulators by changing the previous tensile stresses intocompressive stresses.

The treater herein shown is an improvement on the treaters shown in thecopending applications of Harmon F. Fisher, Serial No. 135,804' andSerial No. 203,253, which contain claims to the combination of a sleeveand central electrode, together with a nozzle or distributor means forflowing the emulsion along the surface of the central electrode, thepresent invention being directed to a novel positioning and mounting ofsuch an electrode structure, as well as to other improved features notclaimed in said copending applications.

I claim as my invention:

1. ln a dehydrator, the combination of: an inlet member adapted toreceive a supply of the emulsion to be treated; a plurality of nozzlescommunicating with an inlet chamber of said inlet member; and aplurality of sleeves, each of said sleeves being positioned in alignmentwith one of said nozzles and electrically treating the emulsion as itmoves therethrough.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which each of said nozzles hasa tongue extending into said sleeve, and in which said nozzles and saidtongues are electrically insulated from said sleeves to permit theestablishment tongue and said sleeve.

3. In combination: a shell; an inlet member support-ed in said shell; aplurality of -primary electrodes communicating with an inlet chamber ofsaid inlet member; secondary electrodes positioned to direct emulsion ofan electric potential between said 5. lin combination: a shell; an inletmember in said shell; and a plurality of fluid-y circulating electrodestructures radially disposed around said inlet member and directing aliuid toward the walls of said shell; and means for impressing adifference of potential between said shell and a portion of eachfluid-circulating electrode structure.

6. ln combination: an inlet member;l a plurality of nozzles secured tosaid inlet member and communicating with an inlet chamber therein; adrum surrounding said inlet member; an insulated support for said drum;a plurality of sleeves mounted on said drum and into which said nozzlesinject an emulsion to be treated; and -means for establishing anelectric field between said nozzles and said sleeves.

7. A combination as defined in claim 6 in which each of said nozzlesincludes a tongue extending through the discharge opening thereof andthrough the sleeve into which said nozzle discharges, the emulsiondischarged by said nozzle forming a fluid envelope around said tongue.

8. A combination as defined in claim 6 in which each of said sleeves isformed in the shape of a Venturi-tube having throats into which saidnozzles discharge in a manner to draw a fluid envelope into said sleeveand in contact therewith.

9. ln a dehydrator, the combination of:

a shell; a supporting member in said shell; a primary electrode securedto said support` ing member and electrically connected thereto, saidprimary electrode including a tongue; an insulator supported by'saidsupporting member; and a secondary electrode supported by said insulatorand including a sleeve through which said *tongue axially extends. 10. Acombination as defined in claim 9 in which a treating space is definedbetween said electrodes, and in which said supporting member includesmeans for delivering a fluid to said treating space.

11. In a dehydrator, the combination of: a shell containing a body ofprimary fluid; a sleeve electrodel submerged in said fluid, the axis ofsaid sleeve being substantially horizontal; a tongue extending into saidsleeve electrode along said axis; and nozzle means for injecting asecondary fluid through said sleeve and in the form of a fluid envelopearound said tongue and moving toward said shell, the injector action ofsaid secondary fluid discharging from said nozzle circulating a portionof said primary iluid through and around said sleeve electrode.

12. In a dehydrator, the combinatlon of a cylindrical shell containing abody of primary liuid; an inlet member` disposed centrally in said shelland providlng an inlet chamber; a plurality of sleeve electrodes equallyspaced around and extending substantially horizontally away from saidinlet member; a plurality of nozzles communicating with said inletchamber and adapted to respectively direct fluid through said sleeveelectrodes and into contact with said shell, whereby said primary fluidis drawn into said sleeve electrodes around said nozzles.

13. In a dehydrator, the combination of: a sleeve electrode; means forpassing the emulsion to be treated through said sleeve electrode at highvelocity; a central electrode in said sleeve electrode and insulatedtherefrom; a member electrically insulated from said sleeve electrodeand spaced axially from the discharge end of said sleeve electrode butextending substantially across the path of movement of the stream oftreated emulsion issuing from said discharge end whereby said treatedemulsion impinges thereagainst as it leaves said sleeve electrode; andmeans for establishing a difference in potential between said sleeveelectrode and said member.

-14. In a dehydrator, the combination of: a sleeve electrode submergedin a primary fluid of relatively high dielectricstrength; a centralelectrode extending centrally into said sleeve and cooperating therewithin defining a treating space; nozzle means associated with said centralelectrode and adapted to inject a fluid envelope of a secondary fluidinto said treating space around and in contactwith said centralelectrode, whereby a portion of said primary Huid is drawn into saidield; and a member electrically connected to one of said electrodes andspaced axially from the discharge end of said treating space to extendacross the path of flow of the fluid issuing from the discharge end ofsaid treating space, the fluid passing through said treating spaceimpinging on` said member after leaving said sleeve electrode.

15. In a dehydrator the combination of: a shell containing a liquid; aplurality of sleeve electrodes radially disposed in said shell andpositioned at equal distances from the vertical axis thereof; means fordrawing liquid into those ends of said sleeve electrodes closest to saidvertical axis, said liquid being moved therethrough in a directiontoward the Walls of said shell; and means for setting up electric fieldsin said sleeves through which elds said liquid moves.

16. In a dehydrator the combination of: a tank having a vertical axis; aplurality of sleeve electrodes positioned around and at equal distancesfrom said vertical axis and 05 directed toward the inner walls of saidtank;

an electrode means comprising a nozzle means for each sleeve electrodeand directing an emulsion therethrough; means for supplying saidemulsion to eac of said nozzle means; and means for establishing adiiference of potential between said electrode means and'said sleeveelectrodes whereby said emulsion is treated in passing through saidsleeve electrodes.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Long Beach,California, this 2nd day of October 1928.

JoiIN T. WoRrHINGToN.

